FTM- how did labour start for you?

[c307]

As the title says really, how did labour start? Is it literally all of a sudden out of the blue or are there actually signs in the days or hours before indicating it? Was it during the day or middle of the night?

This is my first baby so just unsure of what to expect, obviously everyone is different but it's nice to hear people's stories

Smaller part of my waters broke at 2am. DH had just come to bed and woke me up so I went to the toilet. Got back into bed and felt myself leaking fluid. It was all waters, no pee. Contractions started instantly and continually got stronger. The rest of my waters broke about 4.30pm and dd was born at 9.23pm.

I think the first sign was I lost a bit of my plug, just a wee bit. Then I had contractions start one night around midnight... stopped by 5am. Then the same the next 2 nights! I was exhausted and saw the midwife (scheduled appointment) after that third night. She did a sweep and labour properly started a few hours later.

Mine was gradual over a couple of days.

I had a sweep on the Friday afternoon and the pains started later that day. I went to the cinema on the Saturday afternoon & was having contractions throughout the film (I had warned the staff & they sat me on an aisle!)

Sunday morning I woke up at about 4am with a bleed (totally normal) I went to my mums for lunch.

Saturday tea time is when it all kicked off. We timed them. I had two baths and I finally headed to hospital at about midnight.

Staying at home and calm helped enormously as when I got to hospital I was already 6cm dilated!

With my son I started contractions on his due date but then didn't have him or the waters break till day 3 Days after been sent home three times.

With my daughter I was putting a pie in the oven (literally) and I thought I'd peed myself and I was so upset that I cried because my then FIL was there and I was embarrassed. But it was actually my waters breaking and I had her 6 hrs later. Home 3 hrs after that and finally allowed to eat my ore cooked pie 😂😂

No signs. I had an email that the 5th person from NCT had delivered - they were all due after me. I cried with frustration, woke up a few hours later having experienced a dull period ache and these continued just for a few hours fairly spaced out, they then got closer together. All in all, from first period pain to baby being born was 19 hours

I had very mild cramping and aching but not much different from the rest of the third trimester. Had it for a few days. Woke up at 2:30 the night of my due date with contractions, waters broke themselves at 5 and baby born by 8:30. Eating toast by nine.

My waters broke. No prior warning or symptoms.

No signs for me before my contractions started. I didn't lose my plug or waters breaking before that. Also that day I did just feel different it's hard to explain but I was up at 5am putting dinner in the slow cooker and cleaning it was a bit odd!

I remember sitting up in bed unable to sleep at about 3am Monday morning, and feeling the tiniest of twinges. Nothing noteworthy but I'd never had anything like it until that point and I remember thinking 'hmmm!'.

Those little twinges continued into the daytime, and gradually ramped up to definite, sporadic contractions by Monday night.

By Tuesday I was having proper contractions every few minutes, and my waters and plug went at the same time on Tuesday night.

DD was finally born Wednesday night! 😬

I went to 42 weeks and still nothing! So I had to be induced. I would love to know how it feels naturally. Maybe next time!

First time - induced

Second time - lost my plug gradually over the course of a week, with occasional and fairly mild period-type pains. A week after it started, I was woken up in the night by proper contractions - I'd had no particular signs that day but I had had a curry for dinner!

Started getting mild contractions at around 10am probably every twenty mins half hour. Went to town had lunch. Didnt even say anything to dh. About 3am they turned to stronger contractions and born around 3pm. No plug went that I saw and my waters were broken in hospital at 5cm. It was textbook early labour. No warning signs before it had not had a twinge the whole pregnancy that could have been even seen as a sign and I was overdue

I had a massive dollop of mucus plug drop out. It was gross!

My waters broke without warning and contractions started a couple of hours later. Didn't have any other the pre labour clues that had been repeatedly referred to in NCT classes.

I was having a lot of Braxton Hicks throughout the day which my friend made me time to see if there was any regular pattern, they weren't painful at all. No pattern, then everytime I went for a wee that day it was speckled with blood, which must have been from my cervix getting ready or something like that. I went to bed that night and woke up with dull period type pains, went for a wee and when I got back into bed I felt a small gush and just knew it was my waters starting to go. Contractions kicked in an hour after that and then just over five hours later DD arrived :)

Dd1 was induced
Dd2 all of a sudden my waters broke then contractions started, she was born 5 hours after waters went. No signs before that.

Took the dog for its usual afternoon walk, got the odd cramp- like a short intense period cramp and then it'd stop. That happened every 10/15 minutes, not too bad, managed to finish walk go home and Potter around and have a nap. Woke from nap late evening and pains got more painful but manageable, had a bath which helped alot then lay down. Pains gradually got worse and more intense, I started to panic which made things alot worse. Freaked out so I went to the hospital, I was a bulging 3 so they let me stay. Had some diamorphine, had a nap, few pushes later and there was my daughter

When they stuck me on the dreaded drip

I had backache that started on the Wednesday morning at 41+3 but didn't think anything of it. At about 4pm I realised the pain was coming and going so started timing just in case. The pains were getting worse and more regular so realised they were contractions. I called the hospital at 6.30, 10.30 and 11.30 on Thursday morning but they didn't think I was that far along. By the time I went in and was checked at 1pm I was 8cm but I then got too relaxed in the birthing pool so baby wasn't born until 9.10pm that night. I started losing my plug just before we left for the hospital at about midday and my waters didn't break until I was pushing. I had no idea but my boy was nearly back to back which is why all the pain was in my back, I was only comfortable standing or sitting on the toilet! Good luck for when your time comes! I found it to be the most amazing, empowering experience but I was lucky that the birth went better than I ever could have hoped (wish I could say the same about the bit after the birth!) but even if things don't go how you planned you'll still be holding your baby at the end of it

Thanks for all the replies girls! I had the bloody show this morning so hopefully not too much longer, no sign of pains yet though...

I lost my plug on a Sunday, started contractions in the early afternoon on Monday, admitted at 2:30am (6cm dilated), and he was born just before 6pm on Tuesday.

Waters broke, I went for a sweep and then contractions started around 3 hours later. DD was born 25 hours after my waters went.

Oh that’s exciting @c307! My first labour started gradually maybe 6-8 hrs after losing plug. I’d also had diarrhoea for a few days. Sitting here 39+6 wondering if it will be different this time. Hope you don’t have long to wait, rest and eat!

I just woke up one morning at the pushing stage

I went for a routine dr appointment (we have them quite often in this country) at 37 weeks. Dr told me I was 2cm dilated and the machine said I was contracting! I had no idea and felt nothing.

Went home for the weekend, cried a bit on Saturday night for no reason. I woke up on Sunday morning, sent a few work emails, then went back to bed. My waters broke, proper contractions started immediately, and DS was born seven hours later.